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Calgary priest under fire for homophobic remarks

CALGARY—Critics are calling for apologies from the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary and the city’s Catholic school board for homophobic sermons delivered by a priest who works with students.

Rev. Jerome Lavigne, the vicar for education at the diocese, has said that the rainbow pride flag was invented by Satan and represents “lawlessness” and a “break from the natural order.” He is also affiliated with white nationalist Faith Goldy.

“These kind of comments make it open season on LGBTQ youth, saying it’s OK to openly discriminate against them,” said Kristopher Wells, an associate professor at MacEwan University who specializes in sexual and gender minority youth, education and culture.

“It’s not fine to bring those beliefs into a public school environment ... These are the kinds of comments that breed hatred, violence and discrimination.”

Though Lavigne works for the diocese and not the publicly funded Calgary Catholic School District, he visits its schools for events and helps prepare their students for confirmation. His letters to families, posted to the school district website, indicate he has worked with grades 1, 3 and 6.

The school district did not answer questions about its relationship with Lavigne before deadline, and Lavigne didn’t respond to StarMetro’s requests for an interview.

In a statement, Calgary Bishop William McGrattan did not apologize for Lavigne’s comments or answer questions about whether the priest would face discipline.

The church “advocates that we live together in an atmosphere of peace, safety and respect for the dignity of one another regardless of age, ancestry, body image, culture, sexual orientation and religion,” the statement read.

In February 2016 — a year and a half before Goldy would appear on a neo-Nazi podcast — Lavigne invited her to Calgary for a panel discussion about sexual education in schools.

At the event, Goldy advocated against gay-straight alliances and referred to being transgender as a “mental illness,” a since-deleted video shows. She also discussed the sexuality of former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, saying the openly lesbian politician is to blame for “forcing” her “beliefs” onto her son, who is openly gay.

In July 2017, the diocese appointed Lavigne vicar of education.

Then, in February, Lavigne gave his sermon about the pride flag, called “The Rainbow.” Though the diocese later removed the sermon from its website and Facebook page in an effort to respect “the inherent dignity of persons,” according to a July 5 statement, a recording surfaced online this week and prompted widespread criticism.

The diocese didn’t respond to StarMetro’s questions about whether it received complaints about “The Rainbow” and whether Lavigne was disciplined.

In a September sermon called “Origins of Evil,” Lavigne said “there’s no such thing as ‘God made me this way’” when it comes to homosexuality. Video of the sermon was deleted after StarMetro sent a list of questions to Lavigne.

Such comments create a “poisoned environment” where LGBTQ students may not feel safe going to adults at school for support, Wells said.

“We’re talking about a vulnerable community, which has much higher rates of suicide,” he said. “I think the priest’s comments are deeply disturbing and absolutely create an unsafe environment in our schools for (LGBTQ) youth.”

Religious communities that are inclusive can be a tremendous source of support for LGBTQ kids, Wells said.

“There are many Catholic schools in Alberta that are doing this right,” he said. “It really comes down to a question of leadership.”

The Catholic school district faced controversy this month after it revealed that teachers working in schools must sign contracts that bar them from having same-sex relationships.

The Alberta Human Rights Commission is also hearing two cases involving LGBTQ teachers at the Calgary Catholic School District who allege they were discriminated against because of their sexuality.

Wells said the diocese needs to immediately remove Lavigne from his position and apologize. He also called for Alberta Education Minister David Eggen to investigate an apparent pattern of “deep-seated prejudice” at the Calgary Catholic School District.

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“This might explain many of the problems and challenges they seem to be having,” Wells said.

Eggen declined to comment on the school district’s “programming and staffing decisions.” In a statement, the minister said the district is complying with government rules around creating safe spaces for LGBTQ youth.

“That said, we know there is more work to do to foster acceptance and ensure that all Albertans are treated with respect,” the statement read.

Emma McIntosh is an environment, justice and investigative reporter with StarMetro Calgary. Follow her on Twitter at @EmmaMci

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